Somme Centenary - A moment to reflect....
Father,
May we never fail to grieve when lives are lost.
May we never glorify violence or death yet never fail to be inspired
by bravery and sacrifice in its shadow.
Where wounds of violence and hurt remain, we pray for healing.
Help us not to forget and not to repeat.
May we always honour the other’s humanity with dignity.
When the events of the past bind our communities in harmful ways we pray for liberty.
We pray for freedom from the fear of betraying our forefathers by choosing the path of peace. May we honour their memory in the present by realising new dreams,
not reliving their nightmares.
May the experiences of nineteen-sixteen help us to live in new spaces and new conversations, in new relationships and our new identities in Christ.
May we dare to hope for more.
More reconciliation. More redemption. More renewal.
More of the presence and peace of Jesus in our lives and in our land.